I skipped posting about the 0.30 release, so here's all the changes since v0.24:

[v0.40]

• Improved camera mode reliability
• Updated tutorial + added swipe navigation
• Added feedback button in settings
• CPU and memory usage tweaks
• Dynamic compatibility mode to save power
• Bug fixes

[v0.30]

• New 'dynamic period' mode adjusts brightness when required, rather than every X ms
• Refresh button now adjusts backlight too
• Manually add apps to compatibility mode
• New 'simple mode' reports ambient light in terms of abstract 'levels' instead of raw lux/luma
• Subzero only mode
• Disable/enable Lux in settings
• Improved 'check if sensor covered'
• Removed 'automatic' light reading mode

Be sure to grab Lux Auto Brightness right here!

Another update has come about, adding an improved tutorial, an app-wide theme, and other small changes to improve functionality. Be sure to update, or if you haven't bought it yet, check it out on the Android Market right here!

Also, don't forget to follow Lux on Google+!

Just a heads up, Lux is now on Google+! I'll be using this new Google+ page to report the progress of Lux's development between updates. Big announcements will still happen here, but if you want to get into the nitty gritty of it, come on over and add Lux to one of your circles!

See you there!

Interested to hear if people want something like this, to closely match the new Android 4.0 UI. What do you think?

Just in case you haven't noticed the update, Lux v0.2 is now on the marketplace! There are many changes including:

1. New dark ICS inspired theme
2. Linked sample editor
3. New 'night mode' and improved astro mode
4. Re-written data filter (now instantaneous)
5. Hold down 'refresh' button to toggle periodic mode
6. Hold down 'link' button to link (stops accidental linking)
7. Hold down 'astro' button to toggle night mode
8. Hold down 'settings' button to quickly access sample editor
9. Improved brightness fading

Please reset your linked samples and settings if you're having issues upgrading from an older version.

Enjoy!

Now much to say here, except watch the video! Excuse the obscure grey intro, it clears up.

Lux will soon allow users to add, remove and modify linked samples. The UI is currently being developed, but most of the core functionality is done and being tested. While I can't name a release date just yet, it should be out sometime this month. In the meantime, here's a screenshot of the progress so far...

v0.20 will contain this, and other improvements such as the ability to link both lux and luma simultaneously when in automatic mode.

Also, thanks to everyone who has supported the project so far! If you're enjoying the app, please rate it on the Marketplace - it really helps. If you have any questions, let me know on the forum!

Regards,
Vito

You can now find Lux on the Android Markerplace again, after extensive testing to ensure the 'black screen' bug had been eliminated. The official version number is v0.19. To prevent dark screen issues in future, the following restrictions now exist:

• You can no longer link sub-zero brightness's in the first quarter of the slider
• Plugging in a power source will activate a kill switch to stop portions of Lux, and sets the display to 100% brightness. This can be disabled at your own risk.
• Sub-zero does not extend as dark as previously. It's about 11% brighter at its darkest point.

These new changes are to safeguard users from being locked out of their phone due to an unreadable display.

I apologise for the inconvenience. I hope to have these issues sorted in the next few hours.

UPDATE: I have fixed Lux, and my private testers are satisfied so far. I'll be monitoring the app for another 24 hours just in case. Once again, sorry for the trouble.

UPDATE 2: The new build (v0.19) will be placed on the market in a few hours. Thank you for your patience.

- Vito

I've been working with beta testers to refine Lux and make it as resource efficient as possible. There's many improvements and new features in the upcoming Marketplace release, including:

• CPU friendly auto brightness (uses ~1% CPU every adjustment on a 800MHz Hummingbird processor).
• Linked sample buffering to avoid unnecessary storage access
• Smarter data filtering
• Improved fallback algorithm
• Tutorial and light sensor calibration modes
• Revamped settings menu
• Smoother brightness fade
• Brightness jitter control
• Proximity sensor checks to see if the light sensor is being covered
• Ability to run Lux and system auto-bright simultaneously (good for those that don't want the periodic functionality)
• Some bug fixes

And yes, there will be the ability to adjust linked samples manually in an upcoming release!

:O

UPDATE: I have found a small lag issue in this release, and have narrowed down the problem area. I'm doing some tests to fix it. Thanks for your patience!

UPDATE 2: A temporary workaround for this issue is to remove the widget from the homescreen. Recent changes to the code means you do not need the widget for periodic adjustments to work, so this is ok. I'm still working on a proper fix.

UPDATE 3: v0.18 should now fix the stuttering issue.

I've been working on simplifying the UI and implementing step-by-step tutorials/calibration tools. This is what I've been up to.




This is the screen which pops up when you first add the widget to a home screen. The first button initiates a step-by-step tutorial, the second starts up the calibration wizard for fine tuning Lux, and the third goes straight to the Dashboard.

Speaking of the Dashboard, this is what it looks like now!

There's also a similar looking dark theme, but I'll leave that as a surprise!

The new beta version of Lux has been released to the market. Changes include:

o [Functional changes]
- Lux now appears in the app drawer as an alternate method of accessing the Dashboard. Widget must still be on a homescreen for automatic functionality.
- Camera mode no longer lags UI
- Light adjustments no longer interfere with UI
- Can no longer change the sensor poll rate (will always poll at the fastest rate)
- User defined fallback will not be used as often. Lux will reuse the last set brightness if it cannot read a value.
- 'Adjust on unlock' is now 'adjust on display active'.
- 'Set brightness immediately' button removed, changes to brightness are automatically set when slider changed

o [UI changes]
- Dashboard scrolling only affects the buttons to make the slider easier to use.
- Reported number of 'lux' and 'luma' linked samples includes the two default samples.
- 'profiles' are now known as 'linked (light) samples'
- Cannot clear linked samples on the 'dashboard' anymore, must do it via settings.
- Removed contrast bar, replaced with slider indicator
- Brightness/lux/luma label above slider will turn red when in sub-zero mode.

o [Sub-zero brightness mode]
- The first half of the brightness slider now activates sub-zero brightness mode.
- Sub-zero brightness can now be linked to a light sample, and supports fading.
- Sub-zero uses MORE power on LCD displays than a 1% backlight setting, but LESS power on OLED screens. So don't use it for the sole purpose of saving power.

o [Periodic Mode]
- Can now make brightness adjustments occur every X milliseconds.
- Minimum period is 5000ms.
- Setting a filter window within 2000ms of the period will delay the brightness change by 2000ms to avoid continuous adjustment.
- Camera mode will be disabled if periodic mode is set. The camera cannot be used periodically.

o [AC Mode]
- Plugging in a powered USB connection will increase the brightness to 100%
- Unplugging the USB will trigger an automated adjustment
- Hitting the widget or using 'adjust on display active' mode will override USB mode.

Hit the market directly, or via QR code to have a play!

Sick of the dodgy auto-brightness functionality of your Android phone? Not happy with existing brightness widgets? Now you can replace them with something better!

Lux is a project I've been working on lately, in an attempt to create a user driven alternative to the auto brightness functionality provided by manufacturers. After many cases of struggling to see my phone in various environments, I sought a solution. Initially I used one of the many free brightness widgets on the market. They do what they claim, but they're often fiddly and inconvenient. How does one change the brightness of their phone if they can't see the widget in the glaring sun!

That's where the idea of Lux came from. I had a problem, and I've always been intrigued by Android development, so I jumped in and produced a working prototype. A few weeks later, and a beta has been released! Check it out!

It's not quite ready for prime-time just yet, but my current testers have been quite positive about the last couple of builds. It's at beta stage, but I'm still considering adding more core functionality before the final release. This includes:

• Setup guide for adjusting the inbuilt options optimally.
• True autobrightness mode, where the user can choose to adjust the backlight every X seconds.
• The ability to make the colour temperature of the phone change with the time of day, to avoid eye strain at night.
• Astronomer mode: add a red filter to the display (although there will probably be a colour picker so the user can choose whatever colour they want)
• Some fancy visual tweaks to indicate that the widget is busy

Be sure to watch this space! And if you want to test the app without paying for it, let me know!

Update: Updated forum is now up!
Update2:Hey Reddit, VitoCassisi here!

Website: http://www.franklin.com/
Price: $169.95 RRP

Input/output devices are core to how users interact and experience the wonders of modern technology. From printers which produce physical documents, to the massive Microsoft Surface touch-enabled table, there's a wealth of ways to utilise the power of computing in the real world. One of these many devices is the humble speaker. From millions upon millions of 1's and 0's, a speaker produces vibrations through a medium which allows humans to hear otherwise indecipherable data. It's this speaker which defines how these vibrations are produced, and in some cases, how the 1's and 0's are translated into analogue so that the cone can be manipulated as required (via a DAC).

The Franklin Explorer ROADIE EVS-4000 (let's call it the ROADIE for short), takes an interesting approach to the portable speaker dilemma. How do you get good quality without sacrificing size? Franklin think the solution is to make the surface that the device sits on the speaker itself! Instead of vibrating a cone like a typical speaker, the ROADIE produces vibrations on any flat surface beneath it. By doing this, the surface acts much like a cone would - vibrating air such that your ears can distinguish the sounds it's producing. It's an interesting method of creating sound, but does it actually work? And does it work well?

A new mouse has hit my desk - the so-called Cyborg R.A.T. 7. It's not yet available in Australia, it's been shipped straight from Mad Catz themselves! But, they didn't do it because they love me, it's a review unit so I could analyse it. And analyse it I did!

Check out that link to the review, and leave your feedback. :)